qwazse

No Specific regs. But a venturer should be in a position of responsibility to get the most out of the course. Just my opinion.

So, your telling E441 it's okay to not offer the boys the merit badge pamphlet or some other reference? That scouts will learn better without it? Should they simply hang on E441's explanation (very good though it may be)?

We were very fortunate to have parents with diverse talents. I did the science stuff. That included bringing in a hundred page workbook with printouts and graphs of a recent analysis. I thought it would be "throw it on the table and move on." But the boys really dove into the details of interpreting the data. Another dad was in advertizing, and showed the boys how he did a lot of his work. Definitely how to craft stamps is right up that alley. (You'd have my wife hooked!) I actually carve stamps as a hobby. (Usually as a distraction at family events where the youngsters look bored to tears.) The scuba place would definitely have me hooked. It's hard to tell who would be best for your group. First, ask parents. Second call around explaining your situation. You never know who has a presentation for youngsters all ready to go.

Like you, I put off going until I was ready to put up with the demands of the course. I'm sure that was a factor in my success. Don't disrespect the "going to do anyway" smack. There are lots of things that we think we're going to do anyway, and they don't get done. During my 18 months I was advising my crew in going to Seabase Bahamas, it wasn't a ticket item because I felt it was "routine", but it consumed 2/3rds of the 18 months allotted to work my ticket. Several of my goals (the diversity one comes to mind) would have been more successful if I had incorporated them into that super-activity. That didn't happen because I was too proud and wanted things on my ticket that I had no time to even start until the "big rock" was out of the way.

"When it says discuss, our troop does it like this: The counselor teaches, the student takes notes, the notes are turned in and graded, the counselor decides whether or not the notes satisfy the requirement." E441, it sounds like we are asking you to swim against the grain of a troop's culture. We all have our baggage when we're replying to you. So pardon if we dump our frustrations. But, by letting us rant, you may be doing thousands of scouters a favor, who would otherwise agree with the approach above. Why would they agree? Because it sounds an awful lot like the the disastrous and uncivilized "EDGE" method. Counselor explains/demonstrates, student is guided presumably through note taking, then is enabled by turning in notes. The EDGE proponents may say "but that's not what those four words mean!" I say, but that's how they are being interpreted in troops throughout our nation. So, let me provide a few words that leave little to interpretation. This is how the West pulled itself out of the dark ages, the student should: REFER to the MB pamphlet or some other book on chess. DO or MEMORIZE the reference as best he can on his own. DISCUSS in a comfortable setting with the counselor about the material. EVALUATE what with the help of the counselor he yet needs to do. PRACTICE with friends. PRESENT himself to the counselor with a satisfactory understanding. Now, the *best* thing you can do for your scouts (even if you are an official MBC) in a troop meeting is introduce the boys to some good references, allow for open discussion of what's in those references without any pressure on the boys to take notes, and set up some practice sessions. Effective evaluation can't be done at a troop meeting because it is more than just turning in notes. It's taking an exam. Oral exams, where the person can get an immediate evaluation are extremely efficient. That's why we want our counselors working with just one or two boys at a time. It is a lot harder to get 12 boys through this kind of process. But, one year from now, guess which boys are gonna remember the material? Moreover, guess which boys are gonna have the confidence to go out on their own and get more challenging material or contact an instructor on the subject?

I love it! Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. The boy's obviously already done some things with the other pack, so: 1. Identify the things he hasn't done. 2. Ask him what his favorite achievements were and would he like to do those again, helping the other boys in the process? If those things are activities the wolf dean wants to do, put him in wolves. If they are bear things put him in bears. This is one of those don't-blind-yourself-by-the-color-of-the-necker moments!

Simple advice: don't make yourself the middle man. The boy who contacts the MBC can simply say, "I played in a tournament with my troop" and talk to him about how it went. Scouts Honor. In tour class should try to "teach" the meaning of the things in a fun way. For example, you may have a student read the requirement and the description in the pamphlet, and then try practicing that term. Or acting out the movement of pieces! The boy who wants the badge, will "test out" by discussing them with the MBC.

BP, trademark infringement does not stand on the exclusivity of a particular word. Rather if there is a "likelihood of confusion that consumers will believe the products or services originated from the original trademark owner" (wikipedia, citing Harvard Law Journal). All BSA has to prove is that a consumer, hearing the name of an organization with "scouts" in it, is likely to make the association with the "Boy Scouts of America." This is easier to do with a youth movement named "Hacker Scouts" than with a hobby group called "Dog Scouts" or, hypothetically a car club called "International Harvester Scout Owners". They won't look foolish at all. My wife's company had to change it's name for an even more obtuse association with the acronym of a pre-existing company. The likelihood of overlapping consumers was very small indeed, and even though the "younger" company had been doing business for many years -- and only a few years less than the "older" company. Still the older trademark held sway.

Dad was real clever making me work at his beer distributor as a kid. I was in and out of every bar in the county by age 13 and had absolutely no interest in beer since then. I don't complain about meeting occasionally at the CCs house and seeing a beer or two being served, they have soft drinks available so I feel welcome. But, going for a drink to settle your nerves after a rough weekend with adults ... I don't know. Sounds like a recipe for alcohol dependence. I strongly recommend finding other means of de-stressing.

For camping in September? 10 x 20 foot tarp + 75# rope for a ridge line + baler twine + wooden stakes. Shelter for 6 to 10. Always the ones who got away ...

FYI - In situations like this, I find flowers or really nice chocolates with your sons' signature on a simple card go a long way in conveying how important it is to have someone "step in the gap" on your behalf.

Don't count your chickens until the hatch, but ... You have a whole lot of the right kind of problem to have. By now you know each parent comes with their own baggage. Best you can do is have your most enthused parents talk to them and explain the commitment without whitewashing anything, and explain the rewards without downplaying the little stuff. (In my units, that includes them knowing that espresso will be served 4 miles in.) This is where a good CC earns his/her place at the campfire.

Tripods, plain and simple, maybe add a bookshelf.

Shop classes were nice, but I was all about science in high school (e.g., getting excuses from math analysis class to continue extracting the nervous system from the specimen of the day). Me in vo-tech would only take up the space of someone who really needed it for their career. The home-repairs MB (and whatever craftsmanship I learned through scouting), however, gave me the personal skills I needed and the much-deserved respect for anyone working in the trades.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention ... pick the one or two that best meshes with what your family is doing anyway. Making everything you do into scoutcraft reinforcement will put the boy off. Also, making the scout always be the pancake flipper is not gonna fly! Having everyone working together is best.

Regarding the use of medals. It is good and right to wear the Eagle medal with civilian dress in formal situations where medals are worn. (I know these are rare for most folks. Happens once every few years for me.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but it may never be worn on a military dress uniform (armed services rule, not scouting's). An exception can be made if the scout is enlisted at the time he has his court of honor.

BTW, SR540, congratulations! Mentor pins tell a great story, be they on a field uniform, the lapel of a jacket, the ribbon from a staff, or the arm of a camp chair!

I'm filing your question under "Don't ask somebody for a rule. Otherwise you'll have one more rule in your life."

Although I feel like our banner should read "Troop ###: we take bad kids." We don't countenance any scout being abusive to another. "Sent home at your parent's expense" is the phrase we use. Suspensions may apply. Adults: what they said. I take "I resign" statements very seriously. Unfortunately, the people who make these statements are not the type to find you their replacement. It's the most abysmal form of leadership. It takes very solid COR to say "okay, you're out, X is in."

We had 6 from the same den age out as Eagles this year. They did a lot in terms of coaching each other. We have a project advisor. That's mainly because the process can be unforgiving and you want one person on top of how the district wants things done. Also, our boys often go for these pretty challenging restoration projects, so getting a general contractor to review plans is never a bad idea. For my part, I make a point of just part of my chit-chat with 1st Class Scouts to be: "So, what's the plan?" After a while, they get an idea that I want them to be able to rattle off what they need for their next rank, and what they are working on now. That way we try to avoid the "cluelessness factor" without being an "Eagle mill."

Emergency preparedness: home evacuation plan, stocked first aid kit, emergency phone #s, etc ... Citizenship: maintain the family flag and flag pole, make sure everything is in working order and it is stored in a clean place. Ropes: got a clothes line? Get some baler twine and if growing tomatoes or beans: lash a trellis. Tie down lawn and garden equipment for winter. If you hunt, you may need a hanging rack in the garage for that deer or bear you're gonna bag this fall. Plan a family cookout and set up a dining area with a tarp. Or, lash umbrellas to your deck for shade. Fire: do you have a burn day in your community? Citizenship: take him to the voting booth with you his fall. Go to parades and shake hands with your town councilmen, or other community leaders. Campong: Find a coffee shop some miles away and hike to it. Your treat. (P.S., I recall you have a daughter. Knowing that she can go on long walks with you or her brother will be invaluable decades from now.)

Sounds like you've got a plan. And while you're at it, hustle up and turn in your youth application for your venturing crew, that way your hard work can apply to an Arts & Hobbies bronze award (or whatever they'll call it in 2014)!

Not sure I specifically recall a scouting example, but have known families whose exchange students have signed up for sports and the like. Host parents have authority to sign the application form. From my experience wih Chinese visiting professors, they are generally enthused to have their kids dive into American culture. (Again, can't think of a specific example regarding scouting ... so your mileage may very greatly on this one.)

I'm gonna give your leaders the benefit of the doubt and take a guess at what happened: Building and maintaining a list of MBCs is hard work. Back in my scout days a hard-working volunteer would coordinate with the DE and identify everyone theyknew with a particular hobby/skill (this often involved walking the exhibits at local fairs and consuming no small amount of funnel cake), ask that person if they would like to counsel MB, exchange addresses, then shake hands. Done. Then somebody's secretary would type it up. In my small town, you could practically get the phone book and just scratch the names of folks who weren't MBCs. Now an MBC has to fill out paperwork, take YPT, jump through lots of hoops just to be a name on the list that might only get one call a year, if that! Your SMs thought that was stupid, they probably weren't getting help from their district (why? Because for the same amount of result, they push ten times the paper!) And, they decided to go it on their own. What should you do? Make a fun class. Teach skills. At the end have an address and phone of an adult who they can go to and discuss what they learned. Hopefully that person is already on your councils list. If not, Put the responsibility of making that adult an official MBC squarely on your adult leaders and the DE.

Since I'm pretty "chill" most days, let me explain BP's leeriness of National from a more ambivalent position. A few years ago, Bill Evans came to talk to our council's VOA. He could have talked about anything, but he emphasized how important it was that every venturer strive for gold and silver awards. No matter how much merit his words may have had, it did not resonate with any of those youth in the room. How do I know? Not one of them have since earned them! In fact most of those youth never returned for a VOA meeting or council-wide venturing activity. That's one an indication a that National is out of touch with the boots on the ground. Now, I would be thrilled if kids in my crew did work the award program. But, only 1 in the past six years pursued a bronze award. The statistics nationwide support the notion that this is fairly standard. BP's crew is exceptional in its level of advancement. Sounds like you are eyeing is too. But for every one of those, there are a half dozen like mine. They just need me to give them the number of that climbing guide. The second bothersome sign: we talk about youth led, but I have not heard a regional officer come out strongly in favor of the new method. In other words, however nifty the powerpoint was, the most experienced youth aren't blogging things like "It's about time!" "Can't wait to switch over to the new advancement track!" (Now some of the regional officers are enthused about the one-oath initiative. Others were thrilled about going to Jambo. So, if something enthuses these youth, they'll tell us about it.) Instead, the vibe I'm getting is a big "Meh!" So you see, most of us Advisors on the ground find ourselves working around National to provide the program that our youth are asking for, and they don't seem to be asking for a 13-step personal growth plan.